Dear America

Caty Logan has always lived a quiet life with her Quaker family. But one day Caty's world is changed forever. The Lenape Indians, who have been viciously attacked by white settlers, retaliate by kidnapping Caty and her brother. Terrified and angry, Caty rejects the Lenape family that tries to raise her as their own. A handsome warrior named Snow Hunter teaches Caty to respect Lenape traditions... and captures her heart. Now caught between two worlds, Caty wonders if she will ever be able to return to her old life.

Remember Patience Whipple ("Mem," for short), a Twelve-year old Pilgram, has just arrived with her parents in the New World after a grueling 65 day journey on the Mayflower. Mem has an irrepressible spirit, and leaps headfirst into life in her new home. Despite harsh conditions, Mem is fearless. She helps to care for the sick and wants more than anything to meet and befriend an Indian. Her wish comes true when she meets Squanto, who helps Mem and her family face a year of trial, tragedy and thanksgiving.

F-R-E-E-D-O-M. Clotee, a twelve year-old slave, is teaching herself to spell a word she's never been able to understand. But no one can find out she can read and write---she could be beaten, sold, or worse. Her friends Spicey and Hince are in love, and when the master decides to tear them apart, Clotee knows she must come up with a plan. She risks everything to help her friends and family, and learns that freedom is more than just a word---it's an entire world.

With the potato famine devastating her homeland in Ireland, Mary Driscoll must leave her parents to seek out a better life in America. Mary finds work in a mill, where working conditions are dreadful. Although her new friends encourage her to join the union, Mary hesitates to speak out for fear of losing her job. When her dear friend, Sean, is falsely accused of murder, Mary must decide if she is ready to face her fears and sacrifice everything to save him.

Zipporah (Zippy) Feldman is a Russian Jewish immigrant living in a crowded tenement on Manhattan's Lower East Side. While Zippy faces the challenge of learning English and making new friends, her older sister Tovah fights to improve the working conditions at her sweatshop and struggles to hide her forbidden romance with a handsome Irish boy. When old traditions clash with modern ideals, family tensions escalate. To save her family, Zippy must find a way to respect their heritage while following her own dreams of the future.

When General George Washington's troops first set up camp near Abigail Stewart's home, Abby believes war is exciting and glamorous. Abby works at Washington's headquarters, where she finds a special friend in Martha Washington, the future first lady. But during the long winter Abby sees for herself the hardships of war, as soldiers are starving, wounded, or dying. Abby must summon a new-found strength to help the soldiers and their loved ones carry on.